Subject Matter Expert - Financial Index Platforms (R&D Analyst)

Contract | Remote (UK/EU time zone) | Start: ASAP

About the engagement (confidential client) We're seeking a contract Subject Matter Expert (SME) to deep-read and analyse internal technical documentation for a modern financial index technology platform. Your purpose is to identify and explain innovations in how the indexing workflow operates-from universe construction and rule design to rebalancing, corporate-action handling, and calculation/dissemination.

What you'll do

• Engage deeply with all relevant internal materials (including architecture notes, methodology documents, API specifications, data dictionaries, runbooks, and governance/process documentation) and participate in meetings-and, if required, client site visits-to fully understand the context and identify novel or distinctive approaches in index design and operations
• Explain how the indexing works end-to-end: point-in-time universes, selection/ranking and weighting rules, optimization constraints, structured/multi-asset constructions, backtesting/attribution, corporate-actions, reconstitution/rebalancing, and collateral generation.
• Collaborate with developers, information scientists, and innovation managers to ensure technological alignment and project viability.
• Map integration and operational considerations relevant to the docs you read (e.g., REST/JWT, WebSocket behaviours, SFTP/FIX file flows, scheduling, monitoring) where applicable.
• Author high-quality technical documentation, including feasibility studies, funding proposals, white papers, and regulatory assessments
• Translate complex systems and software workflows into accessible, structured narratives for stakeholders, evaluators, and funding bodies.
• Contribute to the conceptualization of automation and indexing frameworks in alignment with EU/German digital transformation agendas.
• Ensure consistency, accuracy, and clarity across all written outputs while maintaining technical rigor.

Your profile (must-have experience)

• index research/engineering, quantitative investing, or market-data platforms, with hands-on exposure to index construction, backtesting, and corporate actions.
• Writing clarity: A portfolio of technical documents (whitepapers, methodology docs, R&D reports).

Do you have experience in Solr?, * Familiarity with platforms such as Apache Solr, Elasticsearch, OpenSearch, or metadata tagging and classification tools.

• Experience working with scripting languages (e.g., Python) or automation frameworks (e.g., Airflow, UiPath) is highly advantageous.
• Comfort documenting API-driven systems (REST/WebSocket) and batch workflows (SFTP/FIX), and describing SLAs/operational controls.